Disabled Writers is a resource to help editors connect with disabled writers and journalists, and journalists connect with disabled sources. Our goal is specifically to promote paid opportunities for multiply marginalized members of the disability community, and to encourage editors and journalists to think of disabled people for stories that stretch beyond disability issues.

Disabled Writers is a resource to help editors connect with disabled writers and journalists, and journalists connect with disabled sources. Our goal is specifically to promote paid opportunities for multiply marginalized members of the disability community, and to encourage editors and journalists to think of disabled people for stories that stretch beyond disability issues.

This resource is specifically designed to help editors connect with disabled people working in journalism, or trying to break into the field. It also includes disabled experts who are available to serve as sources, such as attorneys, physicians, social workers, artists, and others with professional experience or education that makes them expert sources in their fields.

We are concerned about the lack of disability representation in media and pop culture, particularly with respect to multiply marginalized disabled people, such as disabled women of color and the transgender disability community. This resource aims to eliminate the "I couldn't find anyone" barrier to hiring disabled writers and speaking with disabled sources.

When disability coverage appears in the media, it's often developed for nondisabled people, by nondisabled people. 20 percent of the population, which includes media consumers and creators, is disabled, and it is important to put disabled people in charge of their own narratives. Hiring disabled writers will improve the breadth and depth of your coverage, and talking to disabled people as sources for your stories will improve the quality of your reporting.

Disabled journalists and sources aren't just focused on disability. Disabled Writers highlights the incredible diversity of interests in the disability community, from the law to feminism. If you're seeking to increase the diversity of your storytelling — and who is telling those stories — we hope you find this sourcing tool useful.

Please be advised that people listed in this database aren't seeking unpaid writing "opportunities." They expect to be paid at rates comparable to those offered to other writers in your organization. On a larger scale, pay transparency can be a sound business tactic that builds trust and facilitates more open communications. Consider being up front about your rates!